SnapBlocks: a snapping interface for assembling toy blocks with XBOX Kinect

Juncong Lin, Qian Sun, Guilin Li, Ying He

Abstract: Toy blocks can help the children develop various skills, such as spatial, mathematical, creative problem solving etc. In this paper, we developed a computer aided system for child to play blocks with a computer in a natural and intuitive way using the Kinect. We design a set of intuitive body gestures that allow the user to naturally control and navigate 3D toy blocks in a virtual environment. To conquer the imprecise interaction with Kinect, we propose a snapping interface, which automatically computes the optimal location and orientation of the to-be-assembled block. This interface can significantly reduce the user’s burden for fine tuning the blocks at the desired locations, which is often tedious and time consuming. As a result, the user can fully immerse him/herself in the game and construct a complicated structure easily. The experimental results and positive feedback from users demonstrate the efficacy of our approach to virtual assembly of building blocks.